Bridport Nub News aims to support our community, promoting shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups. We will be profiling some of these businesses and organisations regularly in a feature called 'Up Close in Bridport'.

This week we're featuring Bridport Co-op's store manager, Gary Golder.

Gary has been in food retail for the entirety of his career.

"It started as a part-time job," he said, "helping out when I wasn't at school.

"I took pride in my store and adding value to the local community. Over time, I ended up helping out in various stores which led to having the opportunity to run another store in a manager's absence.

"I haven't looked back since then and continue to take the same sense of pride in my store and local community."

Gary says the favourite part of his job is spotting colleagues who have the same love for the job as he does and helping them develop into store managers.

As well as this, Gary loves that the Co-op is a great company to work for.

He added: "Being a member owned and run business gives us a unique opportunity to not only provide a service to our community but to promote a better way of doing business and to truly live out our values.

"The Co-op's ethos and values mean that I can lead my team to genuinely make a difference in our community where I have the support and enablement of the business to do the right thing and not focus purely on profit."

The Bridport store supports a range of groups and causes in the town – with its current Local Community Fund causes being Bridport Leisure Centre, Stepping Out and ASD & Social Anxiety group. The store is regularly involved in community activities, such as taking part in a local litter pick and donating to the local Food Share scheme. It also donated 30 goody bags to nurses at a local care home.

Bridport Co-op made changes to help the most vulnerable in the community during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gary said: "We have rolled out online shopping where our customers can order online and arrange collection at the store. This can be in person or we are happy to load customers' shopping into their car, contact free."

And on top of making shopping at the store even easier, the team is making recycling at the store more convenient too.

"We've just launched a brand-new initiative where customers can bring in their soft plastic recycling into store for us to recycle for them. This has only just launched but is already proving a huge hit."

Co-op membership helps support your local community, with great rewards for you too. When you buy selected Co-op branded products and services, 2p for every pound spent goes to you and we'll give the same to local communities.

Join today online at www.coop.co.uk/membership or in-store.